Even superstar chef Thomas Keller is a fan of the West Coast chain—and with good reason. The cooked-to-order burgers are made from Harris Ranch beef and served with hand-cut fries. For a messier, more indulgent experience, order your burger "animal style" for extra sauce and chopped grilled onions.

Chef Josef Centeno’s eclectic culinary training informs his offal-centric cooking for food that is fun, adventurous and satisfying. His signature Bäco are house-made flatbreads with various toppings like crispy pork, scallions and romesco sauce.

F&W Best New Chef 2011 Ricardo Zarate elevates Japanese-inflected Peruvian cuisine to such heights that he's drawing high-minded foodies to the restaurant’s food-court setting. The ceviche is fantastic, like tuna with vinegar emulsion, red onion and corn.

Chef and co-owner Suzanne Goin (of Lucques fame) has conceived a menu of small plates along with a fantastic cheese bar: The selection regularly includes such obscurities as Estrella la Peral, a blue from Asturias, and Hooligan, from Colchester, Connecticut.

This Mexican-themed bar, decorated with paintings of Mexican wrestlers, pours over 300 different tequilas. But there’s also amazingly fresh and simple Mexican food like melty cheesy enchiladas with thick corn tortillas.

From a fleet of trucks (and an imminent Culver City storefront), come an unequaled variety of ice cream sandwiches. Rotating flavors like Guinness chip and Meyer lemon mix and match with a range of cookies, like chocolate chip and ginger molasses. Recommended combinations are named after architects—order a Frank Gehry for strawberry with Snickerdoodle cookies.

When Kogi’s food truck first Tweeted its stops in 2008, no one had heard of Korean short rib tacos. 2010 F&W Best New Chef Roy Choi, who cooked at NYC’s Le Bernardin, changed that. Now hundreds of people line up for them, and for kimchi hot dogs.

Customers have been lining up at the legendary Hollywood hot dog shack since 1939, but the menu evolves with pop culture. Current editions include The Lord of the Rings dog (topped with barbecue sauce and onion rings) and the Martha Stewart dog (topped with relish, onions, bacon, chopped tomatoes, sauerkraut and sour cream).

“Second only to my fried-chicken obsession is my fascination with Peking duck. The version at Wolfgang Puck's new restaurant on top of the Ritz-Carlton is exceptional, with crisp skin and drippingly juicy meat.”—Editor in Chief Dana Cowin

With a tattooed, flexing cartoon pig as a mascot, Bigmista’s beckons pork lovers to its stand at the Atwater Village farmers’ market. A fitting signature: Pig Candy, slabs of smoked maple bacon sweetened by brown sugar and spiced with cayenne pepper.

This old-school deli from the 1920s is attached to an outrageously good wine store, and diners can open their finds for a $6 corkage. The Reuben's crunchy, buttery crust goes beautifully with Pol Roger Champagne.

“This place is rightfully known for both pizza and pizzazz, but I loved its many vegetable dishes, especially the wood-roasted cauliflower with garlic, parsley, chile and vinegar.”—Editor in Chief Dana Cowin.

Since 1947, this unassuming diner has had crowds lining up for one of the 26 stools at its long counter (there are no tables). The draw: the signature “steakburger”—a juicy, flavorful beef patty topped with mayo, sweet relish, pickles, iceberg lettuce and Tillamook cheddar.

Chef Sang Yoon first made his name here with dry-aged beef burgers topped with Gruyère cheese, Maytag blue cheese, arugula and applewood-bacon compote. Among the finest in the country, they justify his strict no-ketchup policy.

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